The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise has gone through multiple interpretations over the course of 40-plus years, and whatever ups and downs there have been, every variation has its own fandom. Only lasting for two seasons and a movie, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was possibly the most out-there iteration – the show from creators Ant Ward and Andy Suriano took big swings that were deemed controversial by longtime TMNT fans.
Explored in The Art of Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by Colin Stein, the cast and crew of the show give commentary about the inception, the art style, the episodes, the movie and the lost episodes we could have had if Rise got more longevity. When Rise was first announced in 2017, Nickelodeon was still airing the CG-animated series from showrunner Ciro Nieli that started in 2012, which caused a resurgence in popularity for the Ninja Turtles, paving the way for the two live-action films produced by Michael Bay.
Upon the first images of Rise, which not only marks the return of 2D animation, you see there is a lot more visual distinction towards each of them that is more than just the colored headbands. From Raphael as a snapping turtle who is both the older brother and leader of the group, to Leonardo being a red-eared slider who acts as the trickster, the creators were thinking about how to reimagine the Turtles themselves instead of retreading how you remember these characters from previous incarnations. They even have new weapons and powers that add a new level of the franchise’s heightened ninja action.
Whereas the Turtles’ origin has always been rooted in sci-fi, being mutated from the green ooze that usually came from an alien origin, Rise’s approach leans towards fantasy and mysticism. When pitched by Ward and Suriano, a major setting of the show would be the hidden city below New York City, where the various mutated threats come from, and the Turtles would have to face. Although you would see radical new versions of classic villains like the Shredder and Baxter Stockman, a lot of Rise’s episodes showcase new creations for the Turtles to interact with, creating inventive situations with a great mixture of action and comedy.
IDW
You can arguably see more focus on comedy, and thus comparisons between Rise and Teen Titans Go! have been made, something that Andy Suriano references in the book. While the show is mostly comprised of 11-minute segments which are slice-of-life absurdist fun that showcase the brotherly bond between the Turtles, the show knows when to get serious and deliver the epic action and genuine threats that can cause physical and mental damage to our heroes. A massive chunk of this artbook is devoted to breaking down the episodes with the various writers giving insight, whether it is comedic highpoints like “The Clothes Don’t Make the Turtle” to the show’s four-part finale where the Turtles have their climactic battle with the Shredder.
Along with the creators, writers and animation staff, some of the voice actors contribute to the book, discussing what motivated them to get involved in this specific take on the Ninja Turtles. As previously stated, longtime fans may take issue with the show’s liberties, and yet as we learn from the show’s more serious moments as well as the feature film that got made in 2022, there is strong character work sprinkled in – whether it be Splinter coming to terms with his own past family trauma to help train the family he has now, or Leonardo needing to get past his arrogance if he is going to be the leader.
50 pages are devoted to Rise of the Teenage Ninja Turtles: The Movie, showing a great deal of story and visual developments that never made it to the final film. Although the creators admitted they were working with a limited production schedule, it’s a miracle that the film we got is one of the best TMNT movies to date.
While the CG-animated series that preceded it had flashes of an anime influence, the return to 2D animation allowed Rise to lean harder to the anime aesthetic. Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy and European comics like Valérian and Laureline are cited as key to the visual language of Rise, which has a vibrant color palette that complements a New York that may have a familiar skyline, then contrasted with the Hidden City and its mutated inhabitants that dwell below. Along with a whole chapter devoted to the visual guide, there are so many illustrations of characters in their various costumes and the many locations that you are reminded that this is one of the most visually striking shows from Nickelodeon.
Concluding with the lost episodes, it is a painful reminder that we never got more from Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which pushed the envelope with what new elements you can throw at this franchise, whilst retaining some semblance of what you love about the Ninja Turtles. No doubt you can point the blame at Nickelodeon for mishandling Rise while praising them for greenlighting this show and the eventual movie. Even though the franchise has moved on with Mutant Mayhem, Rise will always have its devoted fans, along with this artbook that celebrates it.
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